Im 16 years old and I have some questions about College.?

Question

Alright should i already know what college i want to go to?
How much do most collleges cost?
What are some good colleges to go to..(i want to be a child psychologist)
What are some good classes to take in college(and in highschool i'll be a junior next year..

all answers are appreciated =]

Answer 1

Your questions should be answered by your school guidance counseler in 11th grade. I'm glad you are interested in learning about some of the information early!

Should I already know what college I want to go to?

In your junior year, you should be thinking about it. Make a list of what you are looking for in a college (a certain club or major, location, etc). Then search for colleges with these items that you want. Once you have a list of 20+ colleges, narrow it down. By the end of 11th grade, you need to have five top colleges. Then during your 11th grade year, visit the top 5 colleges plus a few others you want to. No matter what, don't wait until senior year!!

How much do most colleges cost?

Depends. Anywhere from $10,000 - $50,000 a year. However, most people get $10,000 in scholarships, which will help a lot.

What are some good colleges to go to(I want to be a child psychologist)?

This you must research. At Barns and Noble, there are books about the best colleges for each major. Also search online. Check out this: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/store/products/college_index.htm

What are some good classes to take in college?

Colleges will have core classes and then other "funsy" classes, just like high school. The onluy difference? Most classes are geared towards your major. Colleges often require at least one class of math, science, english, and history throughout your 4 years, but with your major, you may have to take more of a subject than others do. It all depends on your major and where you go.

Answer 2

Well, most people don't know what college they want to go to. Colleges vary widely in cost; some can be just a few thousand dollars a year; others can run upwards of 40,000 per year. All colleges have different things classes that they will like you to have taken, but child psych is going to fall under a liberal arts department. Most colleges prefer 4 years of English, 2 of a foreign language, and 3 each of science and math, but they all have different requirements. Start thinking about *where* you want to go to college, what kind of college you're looking for. Big, small? Once you come up with a list of potential colleges, you can look up their websites and find requirements, info on the psych. department, cost estimates, etc.

Answer 3

All these things can only really be answered by you yourself, because you know exactly where your strengths and weaknesses are, and what you want out of life. That being said, here are my thoughts:

1.) I didn't figure out what colleges I wanted to apply to until the summer before my senior year, so I wouldn't stress about that too much. But do read any bulk mail that you may get from colleges, and see what appeals to you and what doesn't. More importantly, you have a career in mind, so when you do decide to search, make sure that if possible you visit the psych department of the school on a visit if you can, and perhaps try to meet some people with a psych major at those schools on Facebook or Myspace, etc.

2.) It depends. I go to UCLA, a public school, which runs about $7,000 in tuition per year, with room and board about... umm... maybe $11,000/year (but you can do it for cheaper than that). Private schools, on the other hand, commonly charge $20,000 or $30,000 tuition per year (but tend to give out more scholarships), and I would assume that the room and board is about the same as my school, depending on the area.

3.) Try the Princeton Review site--especially its Counselor-o-Matic feature. It's not psychic or anything, but it may give you some inspiration. But as I said before, talk to people already in the major, ask if they like the major there and, whether or not they do, where else they have heard has a good department.

4.) High school-wise, keep plugging away with honors/AP/IB classes wherever possible (but don't overload yourself!) But keep in mind that colleges want a well-rounded individual, so keep up with extracurriculars, whatever they might be (sports, art, music, inventing, etc). As for college courses, you will be given guidance when you decide on a school as to what to take. Very likely, there will be General Education requirements that your school imposes, and there will be set classes which you must take to enter/complete your major. Personally, I've had time for some fun/interesting classes too, though, which had nothing to do with my major.

Best of luck to you!